We're Bound Away
by Enthusiastic Fish
Summary: Entry for the NFA AU Times Two challenge. Tim gets pulled into a parallel version of Shenandoah and meets someone he never thought he'd see again. Five chapters plus an epilogue. One chapter per day.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This was written for the NFA AU Times Two Challenge. It's not very long (especially for me), only 5 chapters plus an epilogue. While searching for a young boy in Shenandoah, Tim finds himself somewhere else...and he meets someone he never thought he'd see again.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own NCIS and I'm not making money off this story or any of my stories.

* * *

**We're Bound Away  
**by Enthusiastic Fish

"'_Tis seven years since last I've seen you  
__And hear your rollin' river  
_'_Tis seven years since last I've seen you  
__Away, we're bound away  
_'_Cross the wide Missouri."_

**Chapter 1**

Tim smiled at the street performer as she finished her song. It was _a capella_, nothing special, but there was something about how she sang the song that caught his attention and held it fast for as long as it lasted. He'd never been to Shenandoah, not really, but the mournful tone almost made him want to go just hearing about it.

His phone rang, interrupting his enjoyment. He sighed. This was one of those times when he regretted having job that could call him in at any time of the day or night, week or weekend. He pulled out some money and turned to put it into the singer's box, but in the few seconds' of distraction, she had gone...off to find better customers, most likely. He sighed again and answered the phone.

"McGee."

"_I hope you're ready to go hiking, Probie," _Tony said.

"Hiking?"

"_Yep. All hands on deck. Man took his son from his Navy mom. She's been afraid of the guy, got a restraining order a couple of months ago."_

"Didn't work?" Tim asked as he headed for his car.

"_Nope. She's in the hospital and her son is missing. LEOs just found his car in the middle of the forest. We're supposed to track him down, get the kid back without injury, preferably."_

"Yeah, preferably."

"_We're supposed to be the heroes. You know the drill."_

"Right. Back to NCIS, first?"

"_Nope. Get your hiking boots and I'll tell you where we're meeting up. I just got my marching orders. Gibbs is already on his way. Call when you're starting out and I'll give you the exact location."_

"What direction?"

"_Down toward Shenandoah."_

"What a coincidence," Tim said. "I was just listening to a song about it."

"_Down with the Old Folks at Home?"_ Tony asked.

Tim laughed. "That's the Swanee River, isn't it?"

"_Oh, yeah. Call me back. I'm already on my way."_

"Right." Tim hung up and drove home as fast as he could. He fended off Jethro, changed his clothes and then headed out, calling Tony on his way and getting the coordinates.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

He pulled up alongside Tony's car as well as a few police vehicles. All hands on deck indeed. If the man was as dangerous as he sounded, they didn't want civilians out searching and possibly getting themselves killed in the process.

Tony saw him and gestured quickly. Tim trotted over.

"You ready?"

Tim nodded.

"Gibbs and Ziva went with the first group. We're going with the second. We don't know exactly what way he went. Guy is a washout from the Navy, but he's disguised his trail pretty well. Dogs got all confused."

"Is the kid still alive?" Tim asked. He hated to ask, but he knew it was a distinct possibility.

"No sign of blood anywhere, no body. We have to assume he is...and we want to keep it that way."

Tim nodded in mute agreement. That was something he hadn't yet had to face, and he didn't want to ruin that record with a failure to protect a young boy from his abusive father.

They joined up with six other LEOs and headed off into the forest, toward the mountains. The Shenandoah Valley spread out below them. It was a beautiful sight...or it would have been in another situation. After half a mile, they broke up into two groups of four. Then, another half a mile, two more groups of two each. Tony and Tim went further toward the mountains while the LEOs went off in a more southerly direction.

"Not how I wanted to spend my weekend," Tim said, breaking the silence.

"Not how any of us wanted to be spending our weekends," Tony said in return.

"But as long as we find the kid alive. What's his name?"

"Landon. Nine years old."

Tim had seen the picture. Cute kid, buck teeth, straight blonde hair. In looks, he took after his father.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

They'd been searching for hours and the sun was headed toward the western horizon. Tim was tired, but neither of them wanted to stop, not knowing the danger Landon could be in right now.

"Hey, Tim. Over here," Tony said.

Tim walked over. Tony was kneeling beside a bush. A branch had been snapped recently...and not by the wind.

"No animal tracks here," Tim said softly. "What do you think?"

"I think we should get going right now," Tony said. "But carefully."

Tim smiled and nodded. Together, they headed off, following the path marked out by a branch here and there.

After ten minutes, there was a crack far ahead of them. By silent consent, they both drew their weapons and separated. In the hopes of trapping their suspect, they would come at the sound from opposite sides.

"Daddy, when are we going home?"

Tim heard the boy's voice.

"When it's time. You like camping, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I didn't tell Mom where I was going to be, and she gets worried about me a lot lately. I don't want her to worry."

"She knows where you are. She knows you're with me."

There was an ominous silence, and Tim stiffened. A sound. Had he been heard? What if Landon paid the price for that?

He took another step forward and suddenly everything started getting strange. He could hear someone singing and the world was spinning. Lights flashed in front of his eyes and yet the darkness started to spread. His gun slipped from his slack fingers and he called out for help, even though he knew that he needed to stay quiet.

Finally, he forced himself to run forward through the trees, just to get away from the pounding noise and spinning world.

...and then...

"What–?"

Tim looked around in shock.

He wasn't in the forest...was he?

"What are you doing here, Tim?"

The voice from behind him made him turn, and instead of seeing trees in the dark he saw...

"Kate?" he whispered, incredulously.

Then, as if someone had turned off a switch in his brain, Tim's eyes closed and he fell into the black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The darkness began to recede. There was someone nearby. There was a hand on his forehead and he jerked away.

"Calm down, Tim. It's all right."

"Kate?"

"Who else were you expecting?" She sounded amused.

"What happened?"

"You lost an argument with a rock."

"A rock?" Tim repeated.

"Yes. You should know better than to try and fight with a rock, Tim. Your head may be hard but it's softer than a hunk of rock."

"Where am I?" Tim asked, trying to open his eyes.

"Shenandoah, of course. Where else would you be?"

Shenandoah. There was something in his mind about that, but he couldn't remember what it was, and his head was pounding so unpleasantly.

"I don't know," Tim said.

The hand on his head again.

"Just relax, Tim. Things will be better the next time you wake up."

"Will they?"

"Yes. I promise."

"Okay."

Tim drifted off again.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

He woke up again, and felt more lucid. He opened his eyes and sat up. His head spun more than a little, but it wasn't too bad. He looked around. It was a rather bland room. Nothing to indicate just what was going on here.

...but why did he think something was going on at all? The last couple of days had vanished as if they'd never happened.

"Feeling better, Tim?"

Tim looked toward the door. There she was. Kate.

...but why was it that he was surprised?

"You said something about a rock?" Tim asked.

Kate smiled. "Yeah. It was pretty unexpected. I wouldn't have thought you'd be here at all, let alone right now."

"Huh? I don't follow."

"Come on. If you feel up to it, we can get you on your feet."

Tim nodded and let Kate pull him upright. His head spun again, but with Kate supporting him, he wasn't going to fall over.

"How are you doing?" she asked.

"Okay." Honesty made him go further. "But I'm confused."

"No surprise there. How's your balance?"

Tim barely heard the question. He kept looking at Kate, wondering why he felt like he shouldn't be seeing her at all, let alone be leaning on her. She looked like herself. She was the same beautiful, slightly-intimidating person he'd known. She felt solid and warm. Right now, she was smiling at him and her expression had just a bit of concern for how he was feeling.

"Tim?" she asked. "Maybe your head isn't as hard as I thought it was."

"What?"

"I asked how your balance was."

"Oh...uh, will you think I'm a wuss if I say I'd like to keep leaning on you?"

Kate laughed.

"Nope. Come on. The fresh air will do you good."

Kate helped him out of the room. He was momentarily surprised when they stepped out onto a wooden porch. That wasn't what he'd expected to see...until he started to wonder why that was. There were a few other people in the street, but he couldn't seem to focus on them. Kate waved and then helped Tim down the steps. He took a step and stumbled. Kate was there to catch him.

"One step at a time, Tim. Things are better that way."

"Sure, okay. Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

"Okay. That's fine. I trust you."

Kate smiled. "Thanks, Tim. That's always nice to hear."

"My pleasure," Tim said gallantly. "Of course, it would be dangerous to do anything else when I think I'd fall over on my own."

Kate laughed. "You haven't changed, Tim. I'm glad."

"Changed? From when?"

Kate just smiled again and led him on. Tim looked around as they walked through the town. It seemed somehow both old and new...and timeless at the same time. There was a vaguely nineteenth-century look about the buildings and the overall layout of the town, but the people he saw walking around were dressed in modern clothing...and yet permeating it all was a kind of timeless quality in the air. Something that kept it from belonging to any particular era. And it all fit together.

"Shenandoah?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Where are we going now?"

"To talk to Jude."

"Who is Jude?" Tim asked, and then, in a fit of whimsy, he added, "Does he take a sad song and make it better?"

"Something like that," Kate said.

"Is he in charge, then?"

"More or less. Things are pretty fluid around here."

They headed to a building right in the center of town. Tim looked around. Trees everywhere and above it all, a feeling of peace, calm...but beyond that, Tim could feel a small sense of unease. He couldn't identify the source and Kate seemed completely unconcerned.

They walked up the stairs to the wooden wraparound porch and Kate opened the door without knocking.

"Jude," she called out. "I brought Tim."

The man who came into view had the same timeless quality that the entire town did. He was young, but the look in his eye was as old as time itself. ...maybe slightly younger.

"Tim, welcome to Shenandoah. Have a seat and we'll take a look at your head."

Kate lowered Tim to a chair and Jude walked over. He didn't probe at Tim's wound as Tim had thought he would. Instead, he looked intently in Tim's eyes until there was a flash of darkness and pain and noise. Chaos and voices. Then, with a jolt, he was back on the chair, Kate holding tightly to his hand. Jude said nothing Neither did Kate. Jude ran light fingers down the sides of Tim's head and he felt instantly calm.

"Not so hopeless as you thought, Kate," Jude said, finally. "In fact, it may not be hopeless at all, not for him. ...with a little help." He winked.

"I don't understand," Tim said.

"Of course you don't," Jude said. "You stumbled in here rather suddenly...and you aren't supposed to be here. Of course, ideally, no one should be here, but people are people and we understand frailties."

"What?"

"Do you remember that I'm dead, Tim?" Kate asked.

"Uh...but...you..." And then, without fanfare, it all came back to him. It had been seven years since Kate had died.

"'_Tis seven years since last I saw you  
__And heard your rolling river..."_

A voice, but it faded and the significance of Kate's question hit him. He looked at her and then at Jude with growing alarm.

"Does that mean that _I'm_ dead? Did I get shot or...or...?"

"No, you got hit on the head," Jude said. "It was a hard hit, definitely, and no one has found you yet, and like some other people I know, you have an overinflated sense of responsibility. Basically, conditions had to be just right for you to end up here...and you did. Getting you back? That might take some doing. For now, just relax. I'm sure you two won't mind catching up."

"Not at all," Kate said. "Tim?"

Tim pushed himself upright, but wobbled. Jude steadied him until Kate supported him once more.

"Thanks," Tim said.

They headed out of the house and Tim looked around. The town looked different. The buildings weren't in the same places as they had been. The number of buildings had changed. The trees surrounding the town were the same, however.

"It's different," he said.

"It always is. You get used to it...although I hope _you_ don't, Tim."

"My head is pounding. I want to talk, but..."

Kate smiled.

"That's all right. There's plenty of time, Tim. I'll help you back to bed. By morning, you'll feel much better."

"Okay."

They walked back to the house, and Tim noticed that _it_ was the same, even if the other buildings were different.

Then, all he could think about was lying down and sleeping away this pounding headache. Kate said something to him, but he wasn't thinking clearly enough to respond to whatever it was. Instead, he lay down, closed his eyes and slept.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Kate smiled and then sighed softly as Tim fell asleep. It was a surprise to see him here. Part of her was glad to have the connection to her life, but at the same time, he wasn't supposed to be here. He was still alive. Watching him breathe was nice.

She sat beside him as the night passed.

After a while, Tim suddenly started to move around. The walls of the house faded to transparency. Kate looked around and saw the darkness. Moving bodies, lots of noise. She looked back at Tim. She could almost see a little boy kneeling by him...on the ground.

Tim's eyes opened slightly. He looked toward the transparent shape of the boy and reached out.

"It's...okay..." he whispered.

Then, his eyes closed again and the darkness vanished. The walls reappeared and the little boy disappeared.

Kate brushed her hand lightly over Tim's hair. He stirred but didn't awaken.

For not the first time, Kate wished that she could go back. It just wasn't fair. None of it was fair. She hadn't wanted to die. What was worse, there had been no reason for her death. She hadn't died while protecting anyone. She had died while standing and laughing at a joke. No fair.

She just couldn't accept that kind of pointless death.

That left her here, staring at someone who could go back, who had a life still. Part of her wished that she could take Tim's place and go back to her own life, but she would never be able to do that, even if the option were given to her. She couldn't inflict that on someone she cared about.

Kate sighed again and walked out of the house, into the ever-changing town of Shenandoah. She walked through the town until she reached a cliff that was completely out of place. It was always there when she wanted it to be, though. She sat down, her legs dangling over the edge so that she was looking down at the Shenandoah Valley...while being _in_ the Shenandoah Valley.

"Sleeping, is he? I wondered why it was night."

Kate looked back over her shoulder.

"Yeah. He almost went back, but he didn't quite make it."

"Maybe he's here for a reason," Jude said as he settled down beside her.

"What reason would that be?"

"I don't know. I've never claimed to be omniscient, Kate. That's not my job. If I was able to tell you everything, that would be cheating God's plan."

Kate smiled. "I know." She looked around. "I hate this place."

"You can leave any time you like. Many have and many more will. Even you...eventually."

"Too stubborn."

"You call it whatever you want, Kate."

Kate looked at Jude.

"I can't decide if you're here just for me or if you're here because of some inside joke."

Jude put his hand on her back.

"I _am_ here just for you. If you were the only person here, I would be here. But I'm not _only_ here for you. I'm here for everyone who needs me...but when I'm needed, I'm here just for that person."

"Typical saintly double-talk."

Jude just chuckled and looked out over the valley.

"You realize, I hope, that you're creating a paradox here. You can't be in something and looking at it from above at the same time."

"This changes," Kate said. "The location of the town doesn't. I like the view."

They sat in silence for a period.

"It's not fair," Kate said.

"It's not supposed to be. You're supposed to learn, not get everything you want."

"I sound like a child, don't I."

"You _are_ a child," Jude said. "As am I. I'm just a little bit older than you."

Kate smiled.

The sun began to brighten the sky.

"Tim is waking up. He'll need someone with him."

"I'm not ready for morning."

"That's all right...as you know."

"I know."

Kate got up. Jude did as well.

"You should bring him here, maybe take the time to talk about why you're here," Jude said.

"Tim has his own problems."

"...which will sort themselves out eventually. He has the time...and so do you. He's concerned about you, too, you know."

Kate could see that Jude was planning something. He usually was, though. She didn't want Tim wake up alone, and so she let Jude urge her away from her cliff-side retreat.

As Jude had said, there was always time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Tim opened his eyes in the predawn light and sat up. He felt almost normal...except for that continuing undercurrent of...something unpleasant that he just couldn't quite touch. He didn't like the feeling.

He sat up and looked around the room. He really didn't feel like he'd slept for an entire night.

"Good morning, Tim."

Tim turned and smiled at Kate.

"You haven't changed," he said.

Kate smiled. "That's because I'm dead. Hard to be different."

"But is this real?" Tim asked.

Kate laughed.

"That's a silly question, Tim."

"Why?"

"Because, think about it, if it's real, then, of course, I'm going to say it's real. If it's just a dream you're having, then, I wouldn't know it was and I'd _react_ as if it were real. So the question...it's moot."

"I'm okay with that."

"Good. You feel like getting up?"

"Yeah." Tim stood up.

"Feeling all right?" Kate asked.

"Yeah...mostly. Something is just...off."

"I'm sure it is."

Tim looked over at Kate. She wasn't happy, and that was too bad. He wished that she had the sparkle in her eye that he remembered. Kate led him out of the town to a cliff overlooking a heavily-forested valley.

"This is beautiful. Where is it?"

Kate smiled. "Shenandoah."

"But...that..."

"Isn't possible?"

"Not in my experience."

"Tim, this isn't the real world."

"Right. You said. ...but why are _you_ here?"

"Because I'm not ready to leave."

"But...Kate...it's been seven years!"

Kate shook her head.

"Not to me, it hasn't. Tim...there's no time here. Or at least not _real_ time. It was dark because you were tired. It got lighter because you woke up...but the sun hasn't risen because I wasn't ready for it to rise."

"But...there are other people...spirits...whatever... here, not just us. I saw them."

"It's true. There are."

Tim gave up trying to understand and focused on Kate instead.

"Kate, it's not right for you to still be here. You know there's more out there. You know that...that there's something bigger. Why would you be stuck in a place like this?"

"Because I can't accept the way I died. Tim, it was so pointless...and I was used to cause pain for others. That's what my death was. A man I let deceive me...he used me to hurt other people, people I care about. What kind of a death is that?"

"Is _any_ death really worth it?"

"Yes," Kate said fervently. "Yes, there are deaths that mean something. I was Secret Service. If I had given my life to protect the President, that would have meant something." She looked at Tim. "If I had died in the line of duty, protecting any one of you, that would have meant something. But I didn't. I died standing on a rooftop, a bullet through my brain and all that was left of that...was pain. I saw you all trying to deal with my death because it was meaningless!"

"No," Tim said. "It was because we cared about you. We didn't want you to die, but we would have felt that way if you had died saving Gibbs...or Tony...or me. We would have felt that way."

He reached out his hand and cupped it around her face, surprised, for a moment, that he could touch her at all.

"We would have missed you, Kate. ...and I'll bet Tony would back me up if he were here, you don't deserve to be here. You should go on and stop hanging out in limbo like this."

Kate covered Tim's hand with her own. She felt alive. She felt warm and real and...and..._alive_.

"Tony would be making jokes and you know it."

"But he'd say what he meant, too."

"Maybe." Kate turned away from him and looked out over the valley. "I didn't want my life taken from me like this."

"I didn't want your life taken from you, either, Kate. It took me a long time to...to accept it."

Tim felt himself blush as he remembered the ways he had imagined her. Kate noticed.

"What, Tim?"

"Uh...nothing."

Kate laughed.

"What."

"You can't...read my mind or...or anything, right?"

"No. Being dead doesn't give me ESP."

"Good."

"Why?"

"Well...there may have been...a couple of...times that...that I imagined you...after you died."

"Imagined me? What do you mean?"

Tim looked at her. "You were my superhero...and at first, I thought of you...and you were like...Trinity. You know...from _The Matrix_."

Kate laughed. "I know that's a compliment coming from you, Tim."

"But then...I swear that Tony must have been infecting my brain...and I won't tell you what that means."

"If you're mentioning Tony and imagination...I don't think I _want_ to know what that means."

"And then...I opened a file cabinet and it was like I saw you there, looking up at me. Asking me to come down to Autopsy and see you because you were lonely." Tim looked at Kate and said the same words he had said to her. "I really did like you, Kate. A lot."

Before he could say anything else, there was a splitting of reality. He wasn't looking at Kate anymore. He was lying on the ground, in the dark. He could hear a child crying. There was noise and chaos, people running and shouting. He tried to move, tried to do something. He tried to get to the crying child. He needed to be safe, but he couldn't move. He couldn't do anything. He was helpless.

"_McGee! Where are you? Come on, man. This isn't funny anymore."_

Tim tried to say something, but instead, the darkness began to fade and he heard another voice.

"_Go back, Tim. Go. That's where you need to be!"_

"Kate."

He opened his eyes and there was the cliff. Kate was holding his hand tightly and she looked simultaneously relieved and saddened when he sat up.

"What just happened?"

"You were on your way back. Why did you stay here where you shouldn't be?" Kate asked.

"I...I can't leave you alone here," Tim said.

Kate sighed with exasperation.

"Tim, I'm _not _alone. And I'm dead, remember?"

Tim felt more distressed than he could explain when he looked at her and knew that she wasn't moving on. He turned toward her and took hold of her hands.

"Kate...your body is dead, but not who you really are. If you were just dead, then, I wouldn't be seeing you here. This place...whatever it is...it's real because _you_ are real. Your spirit, whatever you want to call it, is you...and I don't want to leave you here...miserable because you wanted to go out in a blaze of glory! There is no way that we could have lost you that would have been okay. No way at all, Kate. But it would be easier if we knew that you were happy where you are...and you're not, here. Kate, you're not and you, of all people, _should_ be happy."

Kate looked at him, her eyes shining with tears. For a moment, she didn't move and then, she leaned forward and hugged him tightly.

"Tim, when did you get to be so eloquent?" she asked in a muffled voice.

Tim smiled. "I've had seven years to stop stammering."

Kate pulled back.

"Just like the song. Seven years since last I saw you."

Tim chuckled. "I just heard that song before...whatever happened. There was a woman singing it on the street."

"What?"

"Yeah. It's a beautiful song. I almost wanted to go off to Shenandoah myself when I heard her singing."

"Did she seem to disappear?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Kate seemed extremely worried by that. Much more so than Tim would have expected from a coincidental song. She seemed to have forgotten what they were talking about before.

"Tim, do you remember what she looked like?"

"Uh...she was young." He thought some more and then shook his head. "No. I don't remember. I was mostly paying attention to the song. Why? What's so important about this?"

Kate got up and put out her hand. Tim took it and let her pull him to his feet. Then, they started away from the cliff. Tim looked back once as they left. The cliff was gone. Just trees were in its place.

They walked together to Jude's house in the center of the town. Tim looked around and noticed that there were different buildings again.

"Jude! There's something else going on!" Kate said as they walked inside.

Jude was there and he looked at Kate with some surprise.

"What is it?"

"Tim heard a woman singing, just like the others before. He heard her just before he went to Shenandoah."

Jude's expression was also concerned. He looked at Tim.

"You're sure that was the song you heard?"

"Yeah. What's so special about that? It's a folk song about this area. I've heard it before. What's going on?"

"Sometimes...people don't come here," Jude said. "They don't want to leave, but it's more than that. They refuse and their spirits get trapped in the real world. The problem is that there's nowhere for them to go from there. It becomes a prison for them. This place is a stopping point. It's not supposed to be permanent." He looked at Kate. "But it is a place to stop. It's a place to get one's bearings before going on. It's here for a reason. Some people only pass through on their way, but they _do_ pass through."

Tim looked at Kate and then at Jude.

"So...what does that mean?"

"It means that you saw one of those spirits. They can hear and see more than you can. She probably could see something coming. She was hoping to follow you here. Did you see her in the forest?"

"No. There was no one except Tony...and the guy we were tracking down."

There was another trembling, and Tim felt someone shaking him.

"_Please, mister. Please...don't be dead. I don't know what to do!"_

"Tim, you can go back."

Tim opened his eyes and the trembling vanished. He took a breath.

"I don't like that," he said. "It's...weird."

Kate laughed briefly at the description but became solemn once more.

"Did she cause this, you think?" she asked Jude.

"I doubt it. She's a spirit. She wants a ride. She doesn't have any power over people's lives...and she's not evil, Kate."

"So...why is this so important?" Tim asked.

"Because she's a lost soul," Jude said. "Lost souls, like lost causes, fall under my purview. I'm naturally concerned about helping her."

"But can't you just go and bring her here?"

Jude shook his head.

"I'm bound by rules just like everyone else, Tim. When someone breaks the rules, I can't break them myself to make things better. ...but there _is_ a way."

"What?"

"You can lead her here."

"How? I can't even go back myself," Tim said. "And I don't know how I got here...and I thought I was supposed to be going back, not traveling there and back here again."

"I'll give you the key, and you can pass it on."

"How? She's not in the forest."

"She will be. If she tracked in on you, she'll be there."

"But...how will I go back?"

Jude smiled and withdrew from the room, leaving Tim and Kate alone.

"Did I miss something?" Tim asked.

"Tim, you'll go back when you let me go."

"But, Kate..."

"No, Tim. I'm dead. That's not going to change...and I'll work things out."

"But, Kate...I can't just...leave you here. I..." Tim flushed at what he almost said. It seemed wrong.

"What, Tim?"

"I never said it, and it might have been a good thing because...because I'm sure it would have been inappropriate, but I...I kind of...fell in love...with you."

Kate's eyes widened in surprise.

"What?"

"I know. It's ridiculous but...I really liked you, Kate. I almost felt like...like I missed an opportunity, like I'd squandered something by not...not telling you before. I wasn't going to tell you now, but here it is...and seeing you again... I can't just leave you here so miserable."

Kate stepped close to him and then, to Tim's surprise, she kissed him. ...on the cheek. She felt real. When she stepped back, there was a different expression on her face, something more complete, more accepting.

...more whole.

"Thank you, Tim."

"For what?"

"For telling me what I needed to hear."

"_That_ is what you needed to hear?" Tim asked, incredulously.

Kate smiled. "I can't explain it, but thank you."

Then, Jude was there. He walked over.

"Tim, are you ready?"

"I don't know what to do," he said and then, he looked at Kate again. "If I go back, I'll never see you again, will I."

"No, but it's all right, Tim," Kate said. "It'll be all right, and you have a lot of life to live. Don't let me keep you here."

"Will you move on?" he asked.

"Yes. I will."

"You're not just saying that?"

Kate smiled. "No. It won't be right away, but I will, Tim. For you, I will."

Jude stepped close to Tim. Tim looked at him and then, Jude reached out and gently closed Tim's eyes. He touched Tim's eyelids firmly. The substance around him seemed to fade away into black, and then, he heard a whisper.

"_Reach out to her. Tell her that Shenandoah is waiting. She'll come. Tell her."_

Something was in his hand. He clenched it tightly.

There was a shock and the town, the building, Jude, Kate...they all disappeared.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Then, Tim felt hands on his arms. Small hands.

"Please! Please, wake up! Please!"

Tim felt a pounding in his head and he struggled to open his eyes.

"Help me... Help me..."

The same voice. It started to mingle with another voice, female. Beautiful. Singing words to a song. He reached out a hand to the voice.

The voice disappeared as something was shaking him. No, not something. Someone. Someone was shaking him, but his head was spinning very unpleasantly.

Tim tried to stay conscious. He looked around. It was really dark...and he was having a hard time focusing on anything.

There was a lot of noise, but he didn't know where he was.

"Please, mister...please, be okay! I don't know what to do!"

Tim finally tracked in on the voice. It was soft but urgent. He looked over.

"Are you...Landon?" he managed to ask.

The boy nodded.

"They're chasing my dad! He was so mad...and I ran away, but I found you here...and..."

Tim tried to think. He tried to sit up.

Both attempts failed.

"Help me sit up?" he asked the boy.

Landon grabbed his hand and pulled hard. Tim was upright...but not for long. He was so dizzy. He started to fall over, but Landon supported him and pushed him over so that he could lean against a tree.

"Where are we?" Tim asked.

"Shenandoah!" Landon said, sounding panicked. "Who are you? Why are they chasing my dad...and why did he hit you?"

There were too many questions, and Tim was trying to follow what was being asked of him...and where he was and what had just happened. He thought he remembered something else happening...

"My dad is so mad. I don't know why!"

Tim tried to focus.

"I'm a...federal agent," he said. "We were looking for you."

"Why? I was with my dad! He said that Mom knew I was with him."

Tim didn't know what to say. He knew, vaguely, that he should be trying to signal someone, trying to comfort this little boy who was clearly frightened. He just couldn't.

"Who is that?" Landon asked suddenly.

Tim blinked a few times and thought he heard something again. Then, he saw her, the same woman he'd heard singing before. She was there, kneeling down in front of him. Landon was silent, but he looked frightened. Tim reached out to her and saw the key Jude had put in his hand: a sprig of cypress. He stretched it out to her.

"Shenandoah...is waiting..." he whispered.

He felt something. Not a hand, but something wrapping around his fingers, surrounding the cypress sprig. Then, it surged through him and he cried out in surprise. The energy focused him for a moment.

Landon cried out, too.

For a moment, he opened his eyes and saw...

"O Shenandoah, I long to see you  
Away you rolling river,  
O Shenandoah, I long to see you..."

"Kate..." he whispered.

Then, he thought he heard another voice.

"...away, I'm bound away..."

Then, the vision ended. The voices disappeared and Tim was left in the dark.

"Who was that? What happened?" Landon asked.

Tim stared into the space where Kate had been. He smiled.

"A friend..." he whispered.

"McGee! Was that you?"

"Who is _that_?" Landon asked, afraid. He actually crawled over by Tim and huddled against him, in spite of the fact that he didn't know Tim at all, that Tim was swiftly losing his battle for consciousness, that Tim had been injured by Landon's own father. He was terrified and didn't know what to do.

"Tony!" Tim tried to call out, but it came out weak and quavery. "Landon...it's a friend of mine. Call his name for...me...please... His name is...Tony."

Landon looked at him.

"Are you dying?"

Tim shook his head. "No...I'm not...but...I'm a little...loopy. Just...call him."

"Tony!" Landon called out, the fear clear in his voice.

There was a crash through the trees and then, there was a bright light shining in his eyes. Tim winced. It seemed to make his head throb even more. The energy he'd had before was gone now and Tim was ready to go back into the darkness again.

"McGee! What happened?"

"I...met a rock..." Tim tried to smile. "Landon..."

Tony looked over at Landon who grabbed Tim's arm.

"Am I in trouble?" he asked.

"No way, kid. We're glad to find you."

"What about my dad?'

"We found him, too. Your mom is really worried about you."

"Why?"

"Your dad didn't tell her where you were going." Tony hesitated. "She didn't know where you were."

Tim let Tony take over. He was starting to cant to the left with no ability to right himself.

"Landon, will you go with Officer Holstrom? He'll take you to your mom."

"Okay. Are you okay?" he asked Tim.

Tim nodded. "Go on. I'll see you later."

Landon nodded and let himself be led away. Tim felt himself falling over again, but Tony braced him.

"What happened, McGee?"

"Hit my head..." Tim said and he couldn't find the words anymore. "Went to...Shenandoah... saw Kate. She's beautiful... Got a headache...couldn't stay and... Cypress...gave it...and..."

"What? McGee, you are out there."

"Not anymore..." Tim took a breath. "Tony?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't...think I'm walking out of here..."

Finally, he was so exhausted by trying to stay awake that he fell asleep and didn't hear anything else, not even Tony's response, if there was one.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

In the darkness, he heard a voice.

"_Were you telling me the truth, Tim?"_

"_Am I back there? I can't see anything. It's all dark."_

"_No. This is just a quick visit from me. I can't come when you're awake. Were you telling the truth?"_

"_About what?"_

"_About loving me. Was it true or were you just saying it? I want you to be honest. I don't need platitudes."_

"_It was true. Did she make it? The...spirit?"_

"_Yes. She did. She's grateful."_

"_Good."_

He felt something. Then, it was gone. He was alone in the darkness.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"McGee? You in there? Come on, Probie. Open those eyes and look into the light."

"Kate?" Tim mumbled. ...but it didn't sound much like Kate. It was too masculine for one thing.

"Kate? You must be in a bad way if you're thinking that I sound anything like Kate. Open your eyes, McGee."

"Don't wanna be in Shenandoah," Tim mumbled. He was tired of going back and forth like that.

"Well, you are, but the chopper should be here soon."

"Can't get out... but don't...wanna leave...Kate alone."

"Hey, Tim...knock it off."

The voice moved further away.

"Are you sure he's going to be okay?"

"We'll give him a thorough check when we get him to the hospital. That was a hard hit. He's bound to be disoriented."

"Disoriented? He's talking about someone who's been dead for seven years!"

Dead? Kate?

That sounded right, actually.

...but he didn't have a problem with Kate being dead and talking to her, too.

Where was she? He tried to open his eyes.

"Kate?" he asked.

"Tim, stop that. Please?"

Tim struggled to open his eyes. Was he in Shenandoah? ...or Shenandoah?

He managed to get his eyes open finally. ...but the world wasn't acting right this time. It had last time. Hadn't it?

"Shenandoah?" he asked as his eyes slipped closed.

"Yeah, McGee. Where else would you be?"

"Shenandoah..." Tim said.

"Tim, can you open your eyes, please? ...and stop talking about Kate. You're making me nervous."

Tim opened his eyes again.

"Things keep moving around," he said.

Tony was there, but Tim couldn't resolve the image satisfactorily.

"Tony...you're fuzzy."

Tony laughed.

"That's better."

"But...you're fuzzy."

"No. Your _brain_ is fuzzy."

Tony looked away.

"The chopper is here."

"Chopper?"

"Yeah. You're getting a free ride. I'm sure that's why you let yourself get hit in the head."

"Big rock."

"Must have been to reduce you to two-word thoughts."

Tim felt himself flying. That was interesting.

"Wheeeee..." he said vaguely.

"What?"

"Flying..."

"No. Just getting put on the stretcher. Relax, McGee. But not _too_ much."

"Wanted to say good-bye."

"To who?"

"Kate."

"She's not here, Tim."

"No...she's in Shenandoah, but she shouldn't be."

"Just relax, McGee. I'll see you later when you're thinking straight."

Tim listened and let his eyes close again. He wasn't sure what was going on at this point, but he was willing to sleep and give himself a break. Too much going on...

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Tony didn't like it that Tim kept talking about Kate. First, because it had been seven years since Kate had been killed. Second, because he kept talking about her like he could see her...and seeing dead people wasn't _ever_ a good thing. Third, there were other things that he should be worrying about...like what would happen when Landon found out that his dad had almost killed his mom.

"Agent DiNozzo?"

"Yeah?"

"Got an Agent Gibbs on the radio."

"Oh, okay."

Tony took the radio.

"Yeah, Boss?"

"_What happened?"_

"We found Landon and his dad, but somehow, Whittler got around McGee and beaned him pretty good. We got Whittler, but couldn't find McGee or Landon until I heard the kid shouting. McGee's on his way to the hospital, but he's really out of it. They don't know how bad the hit was, but he was in and out the whole time. ...and talking weird."

"_Weird?"_

"Kept mentioning Kate as if he'd seen her."

"_Okay. We're headed back."_

"Me, too."

"_See you at the hospital, then."_

Tony chuckled a little. "Yeah, Boss."

He signed off and handed the radio back to the LEO.

"How's the kid?" he asked.

"Scared. Not hurt at all. Just scared. He said that he saw a woman in the trees but that she disappeared."

"A woman?" Tony asked.

"Yeah. Said she just appeared out of nowhere and then disappeared."

"Huh."

"Yeah, weird. I figure he was too scared to see clearly. It was dark, and he was in the bushes out there. Not much light getting where he was, and with all the people moving through..."

"Yeah. Sounds like it."

...but at the same time, Tony wasn't so sure that was really a good explanation. He looked back toward the place where Tim had been lying. Then, he rolled his eyes at himself. Yeah, right.

It was a long walk back to the car. He'd better get going.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

There was a really loud noise all around him, but he didn't feel like he could actually wake up. It was easier just to lie where he was and let the noise go on. It didn't seem like it was hurting him. It was just...loud.

_Am I in Shenandoah?_

"Touchdown in two minutes. How is he?"

"Breathing fine. In and out of consciousness. Definitely will need a CT scan. Stitches. If he's lucky, he'll just need a week or so off."

"Good. Let's get him in and see how lucky he is."

_I don't think I'm in Shenandoah._

"Kate?" he asked, just to check.

"What was that, Agent McGee?"

No response from Kate. He must not be in Shenandoah.

He was flying again and that was kind of cool. Then, he was moving faster than he thought he should be, but all the while he wasn't really sure he was awake.

He decided that he could go to sleep and think about it later.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Tony was waiting for Tim to wake up. He'd been sleeping for hours. They said that they'd been waking him up every so often to make sure that he could respond. They said there'd been no problems, but given Tim's repeated mentions of Kate, Tony wasn't about to leave until he saw Tim in his right mind.

Right on cue, Tim's eyes started lifting a little bit. He didn't look all that clear-headed, but it was good to see him trying.

"Probie? You in there?"

"Tony..."

"Good job. You got it right."

Tim's eyes opened a bit and looked at him. More confusion there than Tony would like to see, but better that Tim was actually looking at him.

"I hit a rock?"

"Well, I think it was more that Whittler hit you _with_ a rock."

Tim appeared to consider that carefully.

"Landon?" he asked after a few seconds.

"He's fine. ...well, he's not hurt, but he's with his mom now...and that's got him pretty upset."

"I'm sure."

"Hey, Tim?"

"Yeah?"

"Landon said that he saw a woman in the forest while he was with you. Did you see anyone?"

Tim considered that, too.

"I...heard Shenandoah," Tim said "Had some...cypress..."

"What?"

Maybe Tim _wasn't_ as clear as he'd seemed before.

"Don't know why that was the key."

"What?"

Tim blinked a few times and then seemed to realize that Tony was still there.

"Tony."

"Yeah. You feeling all right, Tim?"

"I got hit on the head?"

"Yeah. It's pretty obvious."

Tim nodded slowly.

"It is?"

"Yeah."

"I'm not in Shenandoah?" Tim asked.

"No."

Tim nodded again.

"I guess that's a good thing. I didn't want to be dead."

"I didn't know that Shenandoah equaled dead."

"I didn't, either...until I saw Kate."

"Tim...stop talking about Kate like you've been seeing her. She's dead and has been for a long time."

"I know."

Tim still wasn't completely connected, but at least, he was _hearing_ what Tony was saying.

"I almost think that..."

Then, the door opened and Tim's doctor came into the room, cutting off whatever Tim was going to say.

"Good morning, Agent McGee. You're awake on your own! That's great! How are you feeling?"

"Loopy," Tim said after a few seconds consideration.

"To be expected. You had a nasty knock on the head and a severe concussion. We'll be keeping you here in the hospital for a few days to keep an eye on how your brain is working. For now, just let me do a few tests and then, you can go back to sleep if you'd like to."

"I am...kind of...tired," Tim said with a nod.

"I'm sure you are."

Tony watched as Tim's doctor shone a light in Tim's eyes, made Tim follow his finger with his eyes, asked him a few different questions. Tim did everything, but there was a disconnectedness to his responses that told Tony there were still some problems. Tim's doctor didn't seem concerned, but he was one of those people who always acted jovial, no matter the situation. Tony didn't know if he was pretending or not, but that aggressive niceness could get annoying. When the doctor finished and left the room, Tony followed him.

"Is he all right?" Tony asked. "He doesn't seem all there."

"He's not. Not yet, but the MRI didn't show any serious bleeding and that's a very good thing. His memory is intact and if he still seems a bit out of it, that's because it's been less than 24 hours since his injury and his brain is still rebooting. It'll come back. Just give him a chance."

Tony nodded reluctantly and went back into the room. When Gibbs called, he'd have to go back into work, of course, but for now, with Tim talking about Kate...

Tim was asleep again.

Tony rolled his eyes and sat down.

After another hour, a nurse came in. Tony looked up.

"Good morning, sir. I'm just checking Agent McGee's stats."

"You weren't here before," Tony said.

The nurse smiled. "No, I wasn't. I took over for Marla. My name is Jude."

"Jude? Really?"

"Yes."

"I didn't know _anyone _was named that."

"I have a book in the New Testament," Jude said with a grin.

Tony laughed. "Right. Is he okay? He's been acting weird. The doctor doesn't seem worried, but..."

"All his stats are normal. Concussions can leave people acting strangely for a little while. The next time he wakes up, he'll probably be much more what you're expecting."

Tony nodded and felt much more comforted by what Jude was saying, although it was the exact same thing the doctor had said. He watched as Jude checked over the machines and then let himself out of the room.

He got a call from Gibbs ordering him back to work another hour later. He reluctantly left Tim still asleep and he hoped that Jude was right.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"That's not fair! You said that you had to obey all the rules," Kate said, knowing she sounded like a child.

Jude just smiled.

"I did obey the rules. Not _your_ rules, but mine."

Kate sighed.

"How was he?"

"Fine. He'll be fine."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Tim woke up for the fourth or fifth time that day and felt much more like himself. ...and that meant that all those things he remembered seemed more and more like a dream and nothing more. As he thought about it, it seemed ridiculous. Why would a place set aside for the spirits of the dead be in Shenandoah? He'd just dreamed all that, he was sure. Kate was dead and he hadn't seen her. Why he'd dreamed about her now after seven years...

"'_Tis seven years, since last I saw you..."_

No. No, he hadn't seen Kate. It had been a dream brought on by his concussion. That was all.

He was sure that he was right, but for some reason, that made him unaccountably sad. He wanted it to be true, although he didn't know why. He wanted to know that Kate still existed out there somewhere.

But the whole thing was too unbelievable.

By the time Tony showed up that evening, Tim had convinced himself that it was all a dream and when he was asked about his random sentences before, he just said that he must have been dreaming.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

_Two weeks later..._

Tim was going to be back at work next week. Today, however, he had to himself and he felt drawn to Shenandoah. He'd been denying it to himself ever since he'd been released from the hospital, but now, he just felt like he had to go back out there.

He drove to the same place he and Tony and gone on a search and walked out into the forest. He didn't go all the way, partly because he didn't remember where they'd ended up and partly because he just didn't think it would be a good idea to go traipsing around the forest all by himself.

No, he walked out into the forest and then, he sat down on a convenient log and looked around.

He felt like he should be seeing something else, something more than he was seeing.

"You can't get back there, Tim. It's not a place you can just walk to."

Tim jumped and looked around. At first, he didn't see anyone and he thought he might just be losing his mind. But then...

"Jude," he said.

"Very good. I wasn't sure how much you'd remember, given your head injury."

"So it _was_ real?"

"Yes," Jude said. He walked over and sat down. "Real in the sense that it actually happened. Real in the sense of it being a physical location? That's a little more iffy."

"Why Shenandoah?"

"Do you think it's always Shenandoah?"

"It's not?" Tim asked.

"No. It is what it needs to be."

"How can it change like that?"

Jude laughed. "Because it doesn't exist except as it needs to. Tim, it's not a place on Earth, but it's not somewhere up there, either. It's an in-between location that allows people a chance to move on. You shouldn't have been there, and I understand why you're still thinking about it."

"I'd convinced myself that it didn't really happen, that it was all in my head."

"You really saw her, Tim."

Tim flushed. "Am I that obvious?"

"Yes. ...to someone who has seen a _lot_ of humanity. Whether you want to believe it or not, Tim, I'm Jude. I've been around for a few years more than you have."

"But you look pretty solid. Not like a spirit or a ghost."

"That's because I'm _not_ a spirit or a ghost."

Tim furrowed his brow.

"I'm confused."

"That's all right," Jude said and thumped Tim on the back. "You don't have to understand it all. Actually, what you need to do is let that obsession go before it leads you back to Shenandoah before your time is up."

"Is Kate still there?"

"Yes, but she won't be for long. Your visit did wonders for her. You told her things that she needed to hear."

"Is that why I was there? Was it not an accident?" Tim asked. "Did _you_ arrange for that to happen?"

Jude just smiled.

"I've been given the title of the patron saint of lost causes. Just because someone is lost doesn't mean I have to leave them that way. Now, go home, Tim. Kate will move on. I promise...and I don't need to tell you that she'll move on to a good place."

"No, you don't."

"Exactly. So stop thinking about it...or at least, stop thinking about it so much. Let it go and relax."

"Will I know? When she's ready?"

"I can't tell you that. I'm not God. I'm just one of his servants. I serve Him by serving my fellow man. Whether you know the exact moment, you can rest easy knowing that she will go."

Jude got up and started walking into the forest. Tim stood quickly.

"Hey, Jude!"

"What?"

"How do _you_ get to the real world from there?"

Jude looked back over his shoulder and smiled.

"That's a trade secret, Tim. Drive safely on your way back."

Tim watched him go, half-expecting Jude to simply disappear from sight, but he never did. His footsteps faded as he got farther away. If he disappeared later, Tim didn't see it.

He sat and thought about what Jude had said.

After a few more minutes, he walked back to his car. Under his windshield wiper was a single piece of paper. Curious, he pulled it off and unfolded it. It was a picture of...Shenandoah, but not the Shenandoah he was standing in right now. He looked at it, looked around and then looked down.

The image was gone. In its place was a short message: _See you later_.

"Ha, ha! Very funny!" Tim called out.

There was no response, but in spite of himself, Tim found himself smiling at the joke. Then, he got in his car and drove back to civilization.


	6. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_Three weeks later..._

Tim was sure that he was dreaming. Unless he'd decided to drive to Shenandoah in his sleep, he was definitely dreaming. That decision made, he relaxed and just waited. Something would happened. That's how dreams worked.

So it didn't matter. His dream could proceed without his participation.

Then, there was a river flowing. He couldn't see what was on the other side of it. It was like there was a veil or something blocking his view. He kept trying to see what there was because there must be _something_ on the other side of the river. He couldn't see anything.

From behind him, he heard a voice. A very familiar voice.

She was singing.

"'_Tis seven years, since last I saw you  
__And heard your rolling river  
_'_Tis seven years, since last I saw you..."_

Tim looked back and he saw her. She smiled.

"_Away, I'm bound away  
_'_Cross the wide Missouri..."_

That's all. She walked to him, kissed him on the cheek, squeezed his hand, and then kept moving. Tim didn't follow her. He understood what was happening.

Instead, he watched.

When she got to the river, there was a man there. He held out his hand and gestured. She came closer to him...and then, Tim didn't see what happened.

She was gone.

The man looked at him. Tim knew who he was. The man waved.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

...and Tim opened his eyes. He was in bed, staring at the ceiling. He lay, thinking about the dream he'd just had. He lay there for a few minutes and then he smiled.

"So he did take a sad song and make it better."

Tim laughed to himself and got up, feeling lighter than he had in weeks.

Whether it was a dream or not, he'd seen Kate move on and he knew she was in a better place.

FINIS!


End file.
